The Software Shokunin

Traditional Japanese craftspeople believe in the spirit of the shokunin. This is the essence of pure dedication to the intricacies of a skill or craft. Swordsmiths, textile and paper fabricators, sushi chefs, and calligraphers can all be observed exhibiting the shokunin spirit. The Japanese shokunin carry an unrelenting obsession with improving for the sake of self-worth and social betterment. Money is not an object for the shokunin.

What if the software world embraced the spirit of the shokunin? What cultural barriers would we face? Will our existing preoccupation for money inhibit our acceptance of a craft-driven model? Will aspiring software masters, and even masters themselves, submit their lives to incremental and continual improvement without the pretense of fame and fortune?

I’m imagining a more balanced software ecosystem. One in which engineers are more accepting of their peers. Skin color achromatizes and prejudice fades. A world where success is achieved by the simplification of tools and processes. Where we are glorified by our humility. Communities converge and knowledge is more evenly spread. Technology is progressed not through ex nihilo creations, but through a communal tenacity on the rudiments of engineering.